Phases

Buffy and the gang track down a suspected werewolf roaming in the woods and also try to stay out of the way of a bloodthirsty hunter who is after the same beast. Meanwhile, Willow worries when Oz doesn't appear anxious to take their relationship to a physical level.

Quotes (10)

Willow: (Referring to Oz) I mean one minute he was telling me that he was going through all these changes, and the next he started going through all these changes!

Buffy: That was weird.
Xander: What, it's not okay for one guy to like another guy just because he happened to be in the locker room with him when absolutely nothing happened and I thought I told you not to push?
Buffy: All I meant was that he didn't try to look up my skirt.
Xander: Oh, oh, yeah - that's the weirdness.
Buffy: Weirdness abounds lately.

Willow: It used to be so much easier to tell if a boy liked you. He'd punch you on the arm, and then run back to his friends.

Willow: I can't figure him out. I mean, he's so hot and cold. Or, luke-warm and cold.
Buffy: Welcome to the mystery that is men. I think it goes something like, they grow body hair, they lose all ability to tell you what they really want.

Xander: I just don't trust Oz with her. I mean, he's a senior. He's attractive--okay, maybe not to me, but...and he's in a band! And we know what kind of element that attracts.
Cordelia: I've dated lots of guys in bands.
Xander: Thank you.

Notes (6)

Music: When the werewolf arrives at The Bronze -- "Blind For Now" by Lotion

Jack Conley, who plays Cain the werewolf hunter in this episode, can also be seen as Sahjahn in Angel season 3, and in the "Origin" episode from season 5. As in Angel, he's only seen once in his human form in the episode "Quickening" from season 3, otherwise he's always covered in demon make-up.

The French title for this episode is "Pleine Lune", which translates "Full Moon".

Seth Green (Oz) co-starred in Stephen King's 1990 mini-series It. Green portrayed the younger version of the character Richie Tozier, whose greatest fear in life is werewolves.

Joss Whedon originally didn't know whether it would be Willow or Xander that turned out gay. Xander's conversation with Larry in this episode could have been slightly foreshadowing had Xander become gay and not Willow. There is at least one other time in the series when Xander's sexuality is similarly called into question.

Trivia (10)

Nitpick: In this episode, Cain makes it clear that he intends to kill the werewolf and then skin it because the pelt is valuable. He also has a number of werewolf fangs from past kills. However, according to at least one future episode (and most other film and TV werewolf stories) once a werewolf dies it reverts to human form. This should leave the hunter with human skin and teeth. However, there are lot of inconsistencies throughout the show on this point. In "Wild at Heart" s04e06 Veruca is mauled and consequently killed by Oz, yet did not change back into human form.

Nitpick: At the beginning of the episode, from Willow meeting Oz to Buffy walking up as Oz is talking to Larry, a female student wearing a green sweater with horizontal black and white bands on the torso and sleeves walks past several times from several directions.

When Willow runs into Oz, he is staring at a cheerleading trophy in a case and remarks that it looks like the eyes are watching him. This is a reference to the season one episode "The Witch" (1x03), when Amy's body is taken over by her mother who wants to relive her cheerleading glory days and possesses her daughter. At the end of the episode, she is banished and trapped inside the trophy in the case and you can see her eyes moving wildly back and forth.

Goof: When Giles and Buffy are sitting in the car, an announcer says that the girl was found dead two days ago. This would indicate that the girl died on the first night of the tri-werewolf attack time, and that they are on the last day. However, all throughout the rest of the episode, Giles keeps mentioning that they have another day left.

Goof: When Buffy and Giles head to The Bronze after the werewolf, Buffy is wearing a dark colored jacket, but when they get to The Bronze she is wearing a beige jacket.

Allusions (10)

Oz: Great, Larry! You've really mastered the single entendre!A double entendre is something that can be taken two ways. "Entendre" means "to hear" in French, so the idiom makes sense. Oz is implying that Larry's blunt and has a one-track mind.

Visual: When Xander and Buffy are standing by Buffy's locker, you can see a sticker for Velvet Chain at the top of the locker.Velvet Chain is an LA based band that appeared at the Bronze in the season 1 episode "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date".

Xander: Willow would be Robby the Robot's love slave, I wouldn't even have a head ...Robby the Robot is a character from the sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet from the 50s. Xander's comment about Willow being Robbie the Robot's love slave is a reference to the season 1 episode "I Robot, You Jane". Xander's comment about not having a head is a reference to the season 1 episode "Teacher's Pet" where Xander has a run in with a giant praying mantis-woman. She would mate and then eat her mate's head.

Cain: I've got to deal with people for the ethical treatment of werewolves.A play on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA is probably one of the best known and most radical of the animal rights organizations. Animal rights activists seek to end the use of animals in medical experiments, stop poor treatment of domesticated animals and are naturally against hunting.

Cain: Daddy's doing a great job carrying her bag of Milk Bones.Cain continues to belittle Giles' role in hunting the werewolf by describing him as carrying a bag of Milk Bones (the dog treats).